Everybody Loves Robert
by A Grayer Shade of Gray
Summary: A story about forbidden love! Ha! Robert falls for a coffee store clerk involved in a murder case he's investigating. He seeks advice from his brother, Ray, and receives little more than hidden comments that he's a pervert.
1. Default Chapter

Casey shivered in the night as she held the emergency blanket that the police officer, Officer Barone, gave her. Earlier that evening she was working in the local coffee shop, the Steaming Bean, when a robber had charged in, shooting one of the managers and narrowly missing Casey. She shivered with the thought as she saw Pat's dead face float through her mind once more. She felt over whelmed and bent over, resting her head on her drawn up knees. She was sitting in the passenger's side of the police car, having already been looked at by EMS crews who were no loading Pat's blood drained body into the ambulance. She let out a yelp and tried to fight back the wave of nausea and emotion that was threatening to over come her. 

"Hey," a deep voice asked from in front of her, feeling a large, hot hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" She looked up, wiping her eyes with the corners of the harsh blanket. 

"Yeah... It's just..." words stopped in her throat as she tried to express how she felt. She had just watched her boss get murdered and was robed, all at once. "It's not every day you see your boss get shot..." She felt another wave of nausea and doubled over. 

The large, dark officer bent down, squatting down at her side and rubbing her shoulder. "I understand. Look, my name is Officer Robert Barone, if you need anything, anything at all, even if it's just to talk, call me." The man produced a card from his breast pocket, and to Casey's surprise it wasn't the crisis counselling number most officers gave out. It had his name, office extension and a cell phone number where he could be reached any time. 

Casey felt better already and forced a smile for the benefit of the kind man, Officer Robert Barone. He was distinctly Italian, but in a dark and handsome way, despite his age; not in that creepy, James Gandolfini way. He smiled back at her and she felt even better. Casey put the card in her back pocket, standing up with the aid of the large officer who, even though Casey was tall in her own rights standing at five feet, ten inches, towered above her. 

When she discarded the blanket he kindly took it and put it into the passenger's seat.

"If you need anything, just give me a call... Also, if you remember anything else," Robert smiled a little. After his last break-up, Robert was feeling really unsure about himself, but this girl, though she was clearly too young for him, was a sweet girl and seemed nice enough; it also didn't hurt that she was very pretty, in a "different", as Ma would put it, sort of way. 

"Thank you," she smiled, her dark outlined eyes and black eye shadow were smeared from her tears and rubbings, and she looked some what like a miserable racoon, miserable, but still cute. Her long black hair was braided down her back and she wore black jeans and a black pull over sweat shirt that she had worn to work that day, having changed out of her blood stained work clothes earlier. "And I will." She nodded and gave him another smile.

"Are you okay to drive home?"

"I should be fine..."

"Are you sure, I mean if you aren't, I could give you a ride and then drop your car off for you..."

"I'll be okay, but thanks."

"No problem..."

Casey turned and headed towards the crimson 1992 Mustang that sat in the corner of the parking lot. She got in, turning the car on and letting the engine idle for a minute before she headed home for a long shower, a hot bath and a good, long cry.

Robert smiled to himself and then went back to the business of getting down the other employee's names, addresses and phone numbers. He circled Casey's, telling his partner that it was because she was a star witness, she had almost been shot herself and had gotten a really good look at the gunman. This, of course, was true; but Robert also wanted to make sure he wouldn't forget to write her number down when he got home, just incase she called. 

Oh, how he hoped she would call... Just once it would be nice if something turned out for Robert. 


	2. Chapter 2

Raymond, his wife Deborah and his mother Marie were milling about the kitchen when Robert walked in, his police uniform still on and worn with his usual pride, which diminished greatly when he was around his rival brother, emasculating mother or intimidating father. 

"Hey Robert," Deborah said with a smile and a friendly wave.

"Hey Deb. What smells so good?" Robert asked as he stood rather awkwardly. He had never quite fit in, even as a child, especially with women. Already through one divorce and several failed relationships since, Robert wasn't really comfortable around women, even if it was his brother's wife. However, that experience with the cute coffee shop attendant was comforting; she seemed to be as interested in Robert as he was in her, too bad their ages were so far apart. 

"Oh, I noticed that the children had store bought cookies so I made them some homemade chocolate chip cookies," Raymond and Robert's mother, Marie, said with a chipper yet slightly condescending attitude towards Deborah. She set the plate of still warm and fresh from the oven cookies on the kitchen table and scurried out. 

"MOMMY!!!" the sound of Ray and Deb's eldest child, Alley, rang through the house. 

"Coming Alley!" Deborah shouted after her daughter before disappearing into the living room and then upstairs to help her daughter with what ever it was that she needed helping with. 

"So Robert," Ray asked, taking one of the warm cookies their mother, who was nosy and bossy as anything but still a great cook, had left on the table. He took a bite.

"Raymond," Robert stated with his usual nod. His unhappy and vexed tone was more so than usual, tipping his brother off to his confused state as he too, took one of their mother's cookies. Both boys had grown up with their mom's cooking and enjoyed it very much, so much that Robert ate at home very often, especially after the incident with the bull which left him living at home for an extended period of time. He was now in his own apartment again, but still he enjoyed his mother's cooking; perhaps a little too much.

"Robert, is there something wrong?" Ray asked, looking at his brother as he leaned against the counter top.

"Well, you see Ray, there's this girl," Robert started out, interrupted immediately by a wide grin from his brother and an "I got ya" nod. "No, not like that. She's a witness in a murder that I'm investigating and she's cute, and she's nice and she's absolutely goregous..."

"Then why not go for her, ya tiger?"Raymond said with another wide smirk and knowing grin. Raymond was well aware of the problems Robert had with dating, that he had always had with dating. Those problems had just got worse after his wife left him, and then after the incident with the bull it was almost impossible for him to be in a lasting, healthy relationship. 

"Raymond she's..."

"Cause if this is that thing about that other girl, there's nothing to worry about. Or if it's the scar, I'm sure she'll over look it, or if..."

"It's not any of that Raymond!" Robert's baritone voice boomed over his rambling brother. "She's 22..."

"Oh..." was all Raymond could muster. "Well, she's an adult Robert..."

"There's a guy on my squad, two years older than I am and he has a daughter older than her!" Robert was obviously frustrated and a little angry with this idea that the only girl he could find that he liked was young enough to be his daughter. 

"Now Robert, calm down," Raymond tried to calm his brother while Deborah returned.

"What's going on? I heard shouting," she asked as she came in, having dealt with Alley's problem and returned from her trip to the second floor. 

"Robert met this girl..." Ray started only to be cut off by his brother.

"Oh Ray..." a disgruntled Robert tried to shut up his idiotic but lucky younger brother, but he'd have an easier time trying to get his parents to get along without a fight for an entire day.

"Oh that's wonderful, Robert!" Deborah squealed in delight as she ran up and gave her large brother-in-law a hug.

"Why don't you tell her the whole story, Raymond?" Robert said, obviously displeased with his brother's inability to keep his big mouth shut. 

"She's 22."

"Oh, Robert," Deborah took her arms back and looked at the saddened man. It was obvious that this was troubling him even more than his creased face let on. 

"Well, she is an adult."

"She's young enough to be my daughter, Raymond!" Robert shouted before he stormed out the back door of the house leaving Ray and Deb alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Casey sighed as she went back to work. She would rather have stayed home, but it had been two days and she needed the money. She pulled the apron tight around her waist and sighed, tying the bow. She tucked her hair back into a bun and was set for the day, or night as it was. She worked night shifts exclusively which ended at one in the morning. 

Business was not as it usually was, which wasn't exactly unnatural or unwelcome. The murder had driven away some patrons and Casey was happy to have a lighter work load, especially when her mind was so heavy. 

Pat was dead, gone. Nothing seemed to really sink in. She kept feeling as if she'd turn around and there would be her manager with a warm grin and a hearty chuckle, but of course her manager wouldn't be there, not now and not ever again. Then there was the police officer who was investigating this case. 

Officer Barone. What could be said about him? He was compassionate, or so it seemed, and very nice. He was handsome, if not a little out of her age range by about twenty years, tall and dark; the perfect vision of masculinity if not for the whole depression thing. Casey didn't have to talk long with the officer to realize that, the look on his face when he came to talk to her two nights ago when Pat was shot was enough. His eyes carried an extreme sadness, the kind that overwhelms people after years of hardship. 

Casey sighed as she caught herself day dreaming about the older, but still not witouth his share of looks, police man. 'Stupid girl,' she mocked herself bitterly. 'He's too old. Hell, he's probably even married...' She sighed once more and finished cleaning out the grinds from one machine than moved to the next. She was probably right. 

She served only about ten people on the length of her eight hour shift, and at the end of the night felt a cold chill run down her spine. Sarah, the girl who had been working with her earlier that night, had gone home already. It only took one of them to lock up and since Pat was now gone, Casey had been promoted to night manager. 

Fear and apprehension started to grip her as she checked each one of the machines. She ha done them already but didn't want to check down stairs. She had locked the doors already and checked them several times. She knew there was no one inside, she was sure of it. None the less the fear didn't go away.

Eventually she bit the bullet and checked the basement lights and fridges; everything was shut and turned off that needed to be. And there was no one down there. She trudged back up stairs, got her hooded sweatshirt and bag then left, locking the building behind her. Inside the pocket of the sweatshirt was the card the police officer, Robert Barone, had given her last night. 

She pulled it out and looked at it as she sighed. She didn't have the car tonight since it was in to get a new paint job, so with the lock up complete, Casey headed home.


	4. Chapter 4

The night was cold, not as bitter as it could get but it was cold enough for Casey to regret not wearing a sweater. She pulled the flap up on her purse and dropped the keys to the shop into her bag, hearing them click off her walkman. She couldn't wear it any more, especially now that it was dark outside. Every tick, every pause in the music she would get paranoid. She thought to herself about seeing a shrink, but decided that it was too much. 

She wasn't even clear of the storefront when a large shadow came across her vision and she screamed, jumping with the fright. 

"Hey, hey," a calm, deep voice said over her screams, grabbing the young woman's frantic arms. He doubled over as Casey brought her knee up between his legs in a first, reactionary response. 

"Officer Barone!" she shouted as he belt over and the neon glow from the stores around them cast down on his tanned and weathered face. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" Casey followed him down to the ground. She had taken basic first aid, but they didn't exactly cover this stuff as far as she knew. She put her arms around his huge shoulders to try to comfort him and instructed the injured man to take deep breaths.

He groaned, lurching towards the ground. "Ugh..." he moaned, cupping his genitalis gingerly as the pain was still moving through him. She must be in some sort of sport to be so strong. He felt her arms wrap around him and her kind words. She had obviously not known it was him who came up to her, even when he had spoken. 'Not unreasonable,' Robert mused. For a long time now Robert had been aware of the fact that he was an imposing figure, that's one of the reasons why be made such a good cop.

"Are you okay, Officer Barone?" Casey asked, the pure concern in her voice was a soothing shock to Robert.

"Call me Robert," he replied, pushing himself up and leaning on her for support. Unlike the bull incident, Robert didn't feel as if his dignity had just been stripped. Hell, his mother did that same thing on an emotional level every day to her eldest son. "And I'm alright..." He groaned, leaning heavier on the young woman for support, which she gave. She must be an athlete. 

Robert knew and made no second guesses about his weight, which much like his size, was considerable. But, none the less, the woman held him up with a smile of apology on her warm face, even if it was almost paper white and her eyes were lined in thick, smoky black. 

"I am -so- sorry, Robert," she spoke his name with a grin, the kind of grin someone wears when they're talking about some scandalous fact or something of great intrigue. "If I had known it was you... I mean... I would have never... I'm so sorry..."

"I know, Miss Miles," he said with a smile, unsure if she should be able to call her by her first name. She hadn't told him it was okay so he played on the safe side and called her Miss. 

"Call me Casey," she said with a smile. She seemed to always be smiling .Or at least she was always smiling when he was around. "Do you need help getting back to your car?"

"Oh no," the police officer groaned, forcing a smile. "I walked. I live just a block away with my parents." 'Stupid!' he cursed himself. 'Why would you tell her that!?' Robert kicked himself in the ass for that, she'd probably never even think about him in the way he wanted her to, that is if she ever did. He was at least 20 years older than she was. 

"Aw," she said with a smile. "That's sweet, you let your parents live with you." Casey smiled, it was nice to think that some people still valued family.

With that Robert and Casey headed to his parents' house, though Casey was under the honest misconception that it was Robert's house, he just allowed his parents to live with him. 

  
  


La Fin, for now...


End file.
